Combination-tool.



Patented June 29, 1909.

A. J. HATHOOX.

COMBINATION TOOL.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. a: 1908.

UNITE ALVIS JACKSON HATHOOX, OF DURANT, OKLA HOMA.

COIIIBINA'IION-TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed September 3, 1908. Serial No. 451,521.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALvIs J. Harnoox, a citizen of the United States,residing at Durant, in. the county of Bryan and State of Oklahoma, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination-Tools and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe i vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates the construetion of an improved wiretightener provided with means for tightening a wire so arranged that thewire will be firmly held after being tightened so that the same may besecurely fastened to a post.

One of the objects of the invention is the production of a wiretightener provided with means for connecting the ends of broken wiresand further provided with device for quickly and efficiently removingstaples from a post.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, aswill be more fully described and particularly pointed out in theappended claims and in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved wire tightener showing awire gripping member in released position; Fig. 2 is a side elevationshowing the gripping member in operative position; and Fig. 3 is a planview thereof.

Corresponding and like parts are indicated in all views of the drawingsand referred to in the following description by similar referencecharacters.

In the drawings, numeral 1 indicates a handle stem which is formed ofhard wood or other material and formed with a square end portionarranged to receive the wire engaging device. The end of the handle stem1 is formed with a taper and a pointed edge 2 is mounted on said end toenable an operator to sever a wire. This is accomplished by placing thewire on the pointed edge 2 and hammering the wire with a suitable hammertool. The square end of the handle stem 1 is reinforced by reinforcingmetallic plates 3 and 4 which extend from a point intermediate of thehandle stem ends to where the cutting edge is mounted.

The cutting edge 2 may be formed in any suitable in anner but ispreferably formed of a single piece of material and provided withtapering legs adapted to embrace the end of the handle stem and besecured thereon by means of screws or rivets.

A wire engaging tightening member 5 is pivotally mounted by a bolt 6upon the tapering end of the handle stem, said bolt oxteuding throughthe reinfm'eing plates and through the body of the stem and being secured thereon by a plurality of nuts 7 which are threaded to the bolt oneither side of the stem and against the reinforcing plates. The member 5is formed with a plurality of hooks S curved in opposite directions fromthe body portion of said member and is also formed with an end hook 9curved outwardly on the body portion. The member 5 is he] d in place onthe handle stem 1 by the bolt 6 and is spaced apart from the reinforcingplate 3 by one of the nuts 7.

The hook 9 is adapted to engage a fence post and extend on a horizontalplane therewith and when engaged with a fence post one of the hooks Swill project downwardly and the remaining hook will project upwardlyagainst or near said post. Each of the hooks 8 is formed with a splitend 10 in which the body of a wire is adapted to be wedged.

A wire gripping member com prisin g a tong 11 formed with a plurality ofsplit aws 12 which are adapted to slide against each other and torigidly grasp a wire is secured to the handle stem, 1. The tong 11 iscomposed of two parts which are pivotallyconnectod and the ends oppositeto the split jaws are formed with loops 13 through which a pair of links14 extend. The links 14 are connected to a ring 15 and said ring isconnected by a screw eyelet 16 which extends through the reinforcingplates 3 and 4 and through the handle stem 1 and may have its endriveted thereon. The ring 15 operates to close the jaws 12 upon a wirewhen pressure is exerted on the jaws and the greater the pressure of thewire upon the jaws, the tighter will the jaws close. After the wire thathas been tightened has been stapled to a post, the jaws 12 are extendedand the tool relieved out of engagement with the wire and with the post.

A plurality of split arms 17 are mounted on the handle stem throughwhich they extend for the purpose of twisting the ends of a broken wiretogether. The arms 17 are bent in opposite directions from thelongitudinal axis of the handle stem 1 and are formed lift with splitends 18 for engaging or gripping a wire, the split end of one of thearms being curved in an upward direction and the split end of the otherarm in a downward direction. lVhen it is desired to twist the ends of abroken wire together, said ends are wedged in the split ends of the arms17 and the handle stem given two revolutions so as to twist the wireends together.

A staple tool member 19 is mounted on the handle stem 1, said memberbeing formed with a split end 20 which is curved inwardly toward thehandle. When it is desired to pull a staple by means of the staplepuller 19 the split end of said puller is placed astride of the wire andunder the head oi a staple and pressure exerted on the handle stem andaway from the post to which the staple is secured.

V] hen it is desired to tighten a wire the hook 9 is pressed or forcedinto the fence post and a wire passed over the upwardly pro jecting hookand wedged in its split end. The wire gripping tongs are then broughtinto a gripping position with the wire, and the handle stem, 1, israpidly reciprocated, the gripping tongs being moved to a forwardposition on the wire with each upward movement or the handle stem.

My improved wire tightener is made at small cost and is simple in theoonstru ction of its various parts. The novel features of theconstruction of the parts enables an operator to work with greatadvantages in settin up wire fences or the tightening of wires, and itsuse is not limited to one form of posts large or small or square orround.

The member 5 is provioed with a alurality of hooks 8 so that the samemay be used in tightening wires running in diii'erent directions to afence post.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings,

the construction and operation of the invention. will be readilyunderstood without re I quiring more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the prin ciple orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

Having thus described nd ascertained the nature of my invention, what I.claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. A wire tightener comprising a handle, a pair of oppositely curvedhooks secured to the handle, a post-engaging hook formed integrally withthe oppositely curved hooks extending laterally oi the handle, and agripping ton linked to the handle and adapted to clutch a wire.

2. A wire tightener comprising a handle, a T-shaped member formed withoppositely curved hooks having split ends, and with a post-engaging hookand pivot-ally secured to the handle on its outer end, and a grippingtong linked to the handle rearwardly of the T-shape d member.

3. A wire tightener comprising a handle, a FT-shaped member pivotallysecured to the outer end of the handle, said T-shaped me1n her beingformed with oppositely curved hooks having split ends, and apost-engaging hook extending laterally of the handle, a gripping tongformed with split gripping aws,hnks connected to the arms of the gripping tong and a ring secured to the links and connected to the handle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. V

ALVIS JACKSGN HATHOOX. Witnesses:

l F. CLIFTON, F. E. DOWNING.

